Volume 3, Issue 4 - Moana Medical Centre
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Merry Christmas
December 2020
Volume 3, Issue 4
Website: www.moanamedicalcentre.com.au
Newsletter/Information Sheet
“And so this is Christmas!”
As I write this, we have just come out of possibly the world’s toughest and shortest lock-
down ever, due to COVID-19. How lucky we are to live in a state, and country, that is han-
dling the conditions we have all been enduring in 2020 much better than our counterparts
overseas.
It seems that because of this, we should be able to look forward to a reasonably normal
Christmas period, and hopefully the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with our extended
families.
Here at Moana Medical Centre we are continuing to manage people in our waiting room,
particularly at the moment, by requesting everyone who arrives to telephone reception,
and are asking all patients to wait in their cars until their doctor or a staff member comes
to admit them into the surgery. These measures are intended not only to limit the amount
of people waiting, but also to manage persons who are not patients from entering e.g.
delivery drivers.
We continue to ask that you use the hand sanitiser provided outside the door prior to entry
and also sanitiser inside prior to leaving. Staff are continuing to diligently clean and sanitise
all “touch” surfaces including bathrooms.
During the Christmas/New Year period the surgery will remain open, and only close on
Public Holidays. Although they are not public holidays, the surgery will not be open on Inside this issue
Saturday 26th December and Saturday 2nd January 2021. We may, however, have shorter
consulting days during this time. We urge you to check your regular scripts; if you find you Doctors & staff information..2/3
may be in need of repeats over this period, please organise an appointment with your doc- Want to book online?...............2
tor prior in order to obtain these. Accounts, scripts refs etc……..…2
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a safe and happy Christmas and New Appts, Home Visits, A/Hours....3
Year. We are certainly all hoping for 2021 to be a far better year than what we have en-
Your privacy…………………………..3
dured over 2020.
Addendum: From 12.01am 1st December 2020, we have been required by the State Gov- Recipe: Christmas
Fudge………………………….………...4
ernment to put a COVID management plan in place; part of this includes any person en-
tering the building to scan a QR code for safe check-in. Every person on the premises also Telephone advice/
needs to wear a surgical mask for the entire time they are here, cloth masks will not communication………………….…..4
suffice. Some exclusions to this may apply. Any questions, please ask a staff member. Feedback and complaints……….4
I had the toughest time of my life. First, I got angina pectoris and then arteriosclerosis. Contact Us
Just as I was recovering from these, I got tuberculosis, double pneumonia and phthisis.
Then they gave me hypodermics. Appendicitis was followed by tonsillectomy. These 1/381 Commercial Road,
gave way to aphasia and hypertrophic cirrhosis. I completely lost my memory for a Moana
while. I know I had diabetes and acute ingestion, besides gastritis, rheumatism, lumbago Telephone: 8327 1570
and neuritis. I don't know how I pulled through it. It was the hardest spelling test I've Office Hours:
ever had!" Mon/ Wed/Thurs
8.30am—5.30pm
A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck
Tuesday 8.30am—8.00pm
zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children
Friday 8.30am—4.30pm
started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.
"No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a Saturday 9.00am—12.00pm
close. “They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."
Want to book online?
Book your appointment with your smart
phone or through our website: Doctors Consulting
www.moanamedicalcentre.com.au
Dr Deborah Daniell (special interests: women’s health and chronic disease
management)—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday mornings
(note—every second Wednesday rostered day off) CURRENTLY ON EXTENDED
LEAVE.
Dr Paul Phillips (special interests: diabetes, general medicine and paediatrics)—
Monday, Tuesday (afternoons until 8.00pm), Wednesday, Friday
Dr Josephine Stachyra (special interests: women’s health, antenatal, preventive
health and emotional & physical wellbeing)—Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday and Saturday mornings
Dr George Vlahos (special interests: psychiatry, geriatrics & palliative care)—
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and some Saturday mornings
(note—every second Wednesday rostered day off)
Every day is a new beginning. Take a
deep breath, smile, and start again.
Accounts, repeat scripts & referrals etc
A Texan farmer goes to Aus-
Accounts and payments
tralia for a vacation. There he
Moana Medical Centre is not a Bulk Billing practice. Patients who hold a Government Pension card are
meets an Aussie farmer and usually bulk billed, however. Holders of Government Health Care Cards will generally pay a reduced fee
gets talking. The Aussie shows for their consultations. Children aged 15 and under will be bulk billed. All other patients without con-
cession cards will be expected to pay their account in full at the time of consultation. We have EFTPOS
off his big wheat field and the facilities available and at the time of payment, using our EFTPOS machine, we are able to send your
Texan says: “Oh! We have claim to Medicare in real time and the rebate will be deposited into your savings or cheque account
wheat fields that are at least whilst you are at the counter. Consultations for the purposes of completing third party forms (eg travel/
insurance) are not Medicare rebatable and will attract a fee + GST to be paid by patients regardless of
twice as large.” Then they concession card status. We would usually give you an estimation of cost, but this is normally time based.
walk around the ranch a little A list of our fees is displayed at reception or you can discuss with our staff.
and the Aussie shows off his Repeat scripts
herd of cattle. The Texan im- Generally you will be required to make an appointment with your doctor to obtain a repeat prescription.
Doctors have a duty of care towards their patients and even though you may have been taking the medi-
mediately says: “We have long- cation regularly your doctor needs to ascertain that nothing has changed with your health prior to re-
horns that are at least twice as prescribing your medication. There may be certain circumstances where your doctor will be happy to
write a script without seeing you. In this case you will usually be charged a $15.00 administration fee.
large as your cows.” The con-
Repeat referrals
versation has, meanwhile, al-
Normally, you will need to make an appointment with your doctor to obtain a repeat referral to your
most died when the Texan specialist. At times, depending upon the circumstances, it may be possible or necessary for your doctor
sees a herd of kangaroos hop- to write the referral without seeing you. In these cases, you will be charged a $15.00 administration fee.
ping through the paddock. He Recalls/reminders
Our practice actively promotes preventive health and the doctors often send out reminders/recalls to
asks: “And what are those?” their patients. We do this either with a letter or more often a message via HotDoc which contains a link
The Aussie asks with an incred- to access your reminder on your smartphone. Recalls are generated for: Cervical Screening, care plans,
ulous look: “Don’t you have Aged Health Assessments, etc.
Results
any grasshoppers in Texas?” Normally your doctor will discuss any investigations (pathology, radiology) with you at a consultation,
however, there may be occasions where these can appropriately be discussed with you via telephone. If
you need to see the doctor for your results we would normally book you an appointment whilst you are
in the surgery or alternatively telephone you to arrange an appointment upon your doctor’s request.
2
Dec 2020
Appointments
These can always be made by phoning the surgery– 8327 1570 and discussing with our
friendly reception team. There are a number of pre-booking appointments available After a particularly poor
daily. We also have “on the day appointments” that are held for each day to cater for game of golf, a popular
emergencies and patients who may become acutely ill and are unable to wait until the club member skipped the
next pre-booking appointment is available. We also have our on-line booking service clubhouse and started to
either through our website or by using the app on your smartphone; appointments go home. As he was walk-
through this platform are available for booking up to four weeks in advance for each ing to the parking lot to
doctor and we encourage you to utilise this. Our staff endeavour at all times to make an get his car, a policeman
appointment for you in the best possible time frame. stopped him and asked,
Some reasons for visit may require a longer time frame, e.g medicals, health "Did you tee off on the
assessments, cervical screening, drivers licence assessments. Staff will usually allow extra sixteenth hole about
time when making these appointments. twenty minutes ago?"
Home Visits "Yes," the golfer respond-
Where possible, it is preferable for you to come to the surgery, however, there may be ed. "Did you happen to
times that you are unable to do so. Home visits are performed at the discretion of the hook your ball so that it
doctor and depend upon the circumstances at the time and your distance from the went over the trees and
surgery. off the course?" "Yes, I
After hours did. How did you know?"
We have an arrangement with the After Hours Locum Service. Please call 137 425 to he asked.
book a locum. This service operates between 6.00pm and 8.00am on weekdays and from "Well," said the policeman
1.00pm on Saturdays to 8.00am on Mondays. You can also call this number on public very seriously, "Your ball
holidays. flew out onto the highway
and crashed through a
If you need health advice and your doctor is not driver's windshield. The
available— you can call 1800 022 222 24 hours or car went out of control,
visit the website—www.healthdirect.gov.au . Please crashing into five other
do consult with your doctor wherever possible.
cars and a fire truck. The
fire truck couldn't make it
Your privacy to the fire, and the build-
ing burned down. So,
We adhere to the National Privacy Principals and view your confidentiali-
what are you going to do
ty and privacy very seriously; doctors and staff are regularly updated with
changes to privacy laws. A copy of our privacy statement is available at
about it?" The golfer
reception should you wish to read—please ask staff to obtain your copy. thought it over carefully
and responded... "I think
You may wonder why we continue to ask your date of birth and other
I'll close my stance a little
identifiers eg address/phone number. We need to ascertain that we are
bit, tighten my grip and
talking to the right person so that sensitive information is not unknowingly
divulged. We will not disclose personal information about you to third
lower my right thumb."
parties unless we have your written permission to do so.
Should you feel we have breached your privacy or you have any con-
cerns, please do not hesitate to raise this with your doctor or our practice
manager—you may wish to write a letter. We will endeavor to respond to Administration staff
all complaints in a timely manner; all feedback is taken seriously.
You may wish to take your complaint to a third party in which case you Naomi—Practice Manager
can write to:
Sue—Business Manager
Office of the Australian Information Commission Michelle—Office Manager
GPO Box 5218 Rebecca—Receptionist
SYDNEY NSW 1042 Karen—Receptionist
Phone: 1300 363 992
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au
3
Dec 2020Telephone advice/return calls CHRISTMAS FUDGE
Generally your doctor will require an ap-
pointment to discuss medical issues, includ- And now, something naughty for
ing results. There may be rare occasions Christmas!
where your doctor may choose to talk to
you on the phone; this is at the doctor’s INGREDIENTS
discretion and would often be at the end of 395g can sweetened condensed
the day . Should you call wishing to speak to milk
your doctor our friendly reception staff will 1 cup brown sugar
endeavour to assist you with your request. 2 tablespoons glucose syrup
Electronic communication 125g butter, chopped
Moana Medical Centre does not communi- 180g dark chocolate, finely
cate electronically, eg via email, with pa- chopped
tients regarding clinical care. We do not 1/2 cup bottled fruit mince
consider this to be a secure method of com- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
munication. We encourage you to tele- 1/2 cup chopped dry-roasted hazelnuts
phone to discuss your needs. METHOD
Management of your personal record 1) Grease pan a 4cm deep, 20cm (base) square cake pan. Line base
Your medical records are private and confi- and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides.
dential, and only available to authorised 2) Place condensed milk, sugar, syrup and butter in a saucepan over
members of staff. Moana Medical Centre low heat. Cook, stirring, without boiling, for 10 minutes or until mix-
adheres to the RACGP code of conduct for ture is glossy and sugar has dissolved.
the management of health information in 3) Increase heat to medium-low. Bring to a simmer, stirring. Cook, stir-
General Practice. ring, for 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture thickens and comes away
You may at times wish to discuss aspects of from side of pan. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate, fruit mince,
your medical record held with us. If you cranberries and hazelnuts until combined and chocolate melted.
wish to do so, please make an appointment Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth top. Set aside for 30 minutes.
with your doctor. As this is not medical care, Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 hours or until firm.
there would be an out of pocket cost for 4) Cut into 2.5cm pieces. Serve.
this.
Feedback and Complaints A young man who was also an avid golf-
er found himself with a few hours to
Moana Medical Centre is proud of the high standard of service that we
spare one afternoon. He figured if he
provide to individuals and families in our community. hurried and played very fast, he could
We value your feedback and have created a patient feedback form for you get in nine holes before he had to head
to complete if there is any issue that you would like to inform us of; simi- home. Just as he was about to tee off
an old gentleman shuffled onto the tee
larly, we also value and welcome positive feedback. We view feedback as and asked if he could accompany the
an important tool which assists us in providing better service to our pa- young man as he was golfing alone. Not
tients. being able to say no, he allowed the old
gent to join him. To his surprise the old
A copy of our “Feedback form” is available at reception, or you can find a
man played fairly quickly. He didn’t hit
link to print at home on our website: www.moanamedicalcentre.com.au. the ball far, but plodded along consist-
We have a complaints resolution process and prefer to be alerted at the ently and didn’t waste much time. Fi-
earliest possible opportunity so that we can address your concerns direct- nally, they reached the ninth fairway
and the young man found himself with
ly. If at any time you feel unhappy with any aspect of your care, please let
a tough shot. There was a large pine
our Practice Manager know and we will endeavour to deal with your con- tree right in front of his ball – and di-
cerns to the satisfaction of all in an acceptable timeframe. rectly between his ball and the green.
Alternatively, should you feel it necessary, you can contact the Health and After several minutes of debating how
to hit the shot the old man finally said:
Community Services Complaints Commissioner: Phone (08) 8226 8666 or
“You know, when I was your age I’d hit
email info@hcscc.sa.gov.au, the ball right over that tree.” With that
Mail Address challenge placed before him, the
PO Box 199 youngster swung hard, hit the ball up,
Rundle Mall SA 5000 right smack into the top of the tree
trunk and it thudded back on the
Street Address (by appointment only)
ground not a metre from where it had
Level 4, East Wing originally lay. The old man offered one
50 Grenfell Street more comment: “Of course, when I was
Adelaide SA 5000 your age that pine tree was only a me-
tre tall.”You can also read
